


Experimental Experience

by IncarnadineQueen



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Gen, ship got me like awww
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 20:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20315545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncarnadineQueen/pseuds/IncarnadineQueen
Summary: Short analysis of Entrapta and Hordak at the beginning.





	Experimental Experience

**Author's Note:**

> This was the start to a romance with an Explicit rating. I wrote some of it and decided I did not like it. So now this is just a little setup analysis for the two characters. I apologize to those who wanted more dirty times between Entrapta and Hordak, but I just didn't have it in me. If you never saw it, I have another Entrapdak fic with an explicit rating.
> 
> Thank you! <3

Entrapta has never been overly concerned with other people, aside from the odd anomaly, and studies of interesting social interactions, she has not gone out of her way to interact with anyone very closely. She has never dated and never formed a close friendship; though some might argue that her relationships with some of her robots are close friendships. She has always been independent and far too interested in furthering her knowledge. Her castle is her playground and her safe zone. It's built as a labyrinth full of dangerous traps and misleading halls. 

Her home became a reflection of how she felt.

“Only the robots know the way through the castle.” She said. Only the robots know the way through her mind and her heart, her love of technology keeps her shielded from people that don’t understand her. 

“She’s obsessed.”

“Her hair is strange.”

“Is it true that she hates people?”

“Why does she act like that?”

The bots don’t care if she’s not the best at interaction, or that she needs to cover her ears most of the time. Some people might consider it rude, the robots don’t even consider it. She gave them life and purpose; they are perfectly happy with her. They don’t need constant validation or any of the things a person might want from a typical friend. All they need is Entrapta: to make her happy and in return to be taken care of and loved in the only way their Princess knows how to.

A lot has changed since her days in the castle came to an abrupt end. The pain of being abandoned by all of the real flesh and blood people that she thought were friends became too much to bear. She blocked it out and went on doing what she does best: experimentation.

First it was simple, examine the Horde; their technology, buildings, and infrastructure. She soon became wrapped up in playing with all of the resources the Horde could offer her. When Hordak didn’t kick her out for being a former rebellion princess she slowly started to feel more comfortable, accepted even. And as long as he allows her to experiment, she will continue to do so with more intensity than she ever has. How could she feel hurt if she is always working anyway?

Days turned into weeks, her experiments continued to be successful. The part of her that knows what she is doing is morally wrong got buried under every other emotion she couldn’t handle. She is never one to take sides, and why would she side with people who clearly didn’t care for her?

Catra and Scorpia became her new friends. Emily became her constant companion. The robot made sure she took showers and cared for herself when she was caught up in too much work. On more than one occasion Emily kept Entrapta from getting too close to Hordak’s chambers and the forbidden “Sanctum”. Her eyes had lit up when Catra had mentioned it. Hordak had a LAB, probably a huge one with all sorts of fascinating things to experiment on.

She held herself back as long as she could, while she was generally oblivious to the subtleties and intentions of others, she knew that Hordak is dangerous. She knew that he could crush her without remorse if she crossed the line. But that didn’t stop her, she always found a way to get what she wanted.

The only thing in the world more irresistible than experiments are failed experiments. The knowledge gained from them, the potential to improve, they pulled Entrapta in like a fish caught on a line. More often than not she went willingly, not once struggling against her scientific instincts. In this case she had tried. She had seen plenty of danger and never been afraid to forge ahead. “

“Why would Hordak be different?”, she justified to herself. She had survived this long.

She gathered the courage to see him work, but stayed safely hidden. The ultimate failure of his experiment excited her, there were so many more things to try! She almost gave herself away, wanting to discuss future potential and useful adjustments to his already impressive design. Before she could take a single step or utter a sound Hordak’s rage had her seeking the safety of her hiding spot again.

He left then, Entrapta watched him go. She sat still for a time, too afraid he would come back, but wanting to see what went wrong for herself. The desire to check over his work became stronger than her fear and she quickly found herself in front of the device. Before long she had the outer casing removed and was following the paths of the wiring to and from their power source. 

“AHA!” She cried out, then quickly slapped both hands to her mouth and stilled. When no indication of her being found presented itself she sent tendrils of her hair to search his work table for appropriate equipment. Wire cutters and shears were all she needed, along with more heavily insulated wires. She began the meticulous work of removing old wires and replacing them with new ones. It was a task she enjoyed and while she worked, she ran through scenarios of what would happen when the device powered on. Maybe it would not work, but she will have already learned a lot from a second failure. What else could she try? New capacitors? Perhaps a vented casing? No, that wouldn’t make a difference.

She continued, humming an idle tune, until just one more connection was needed before she could turn the power back on. 

A shadow overtook her, blocking out the already dim light in the room. Now she couldn’t see the connector points clearly. Not wanting to make a mistake that could invalidate the experiment she turned to whoever was rude enough to block her light.

Some part of her brain registered that Hordak had returned, but instead of instigating a fear response she was annoyed. His return will only delay her further. Without regard for her own safety she spoke up. If she could just finish...

He yelled for her to leave, but she just couldn’t. She was so close, if only he could see. She was certain her idea would at least yield a promising result. She didn’t notice his shocked confusion at her audacity. Before he could grow any more unstable she was led out of the Sanctum by Emily, her final words to him begged him to try again.

When the experiment ended in success this time Hordak became pleased. Never mind that the tiny woman had invaded his privacy, she had proven herself valuable. He didn’t even seem to mind that she had popped up at his side yet again to gloat over her victory over technology. He knew he had her when her eyes widened and her mouth opened in wonder at the idea that he had visited other planets. 

They began working together. Entrapta would visit the Sanctum regularly to dump information about new First One’s tech or ogle over a new design.

Gradually she’d spend more time with him than anyone else. She knew he appreciated her dedication to work and she appreciated his abilities and resources. As the days turned into weeks the pair grew more and more comfortable with each other.

Entrapta would not take his angry outbursts personally, she could recognize deflection when she saw it. He never revealed anything about himself and she never asked. It's not that she didn't care, it just wasn't important. If he wanted to continue to work alongside her it didn't matter. 

The day he collapsed to the ground was a turning point that changed their relationship for all of their future. She was amazed with his body; a technological testament to his resilience and brilliant mind.

She had been fooled by his appearance. The parts of him that were not covered in his armor are healthy and incredibly strong. He seemed invincible. It never crossed her mind that she could single handedly overthrow him, she simply wanted to ensure that her friend was safe and healthy.

As he recovered she wrapped him in a blanket and left to bring him food. She examined the parts of his body that appeared weakened. Perhaps the white skin was an indication of sickness, she would have to experiment more to understand it. 

She recognized the importance of him opening up to her regarding his past, how he had also been abandoned, cast aside and hurt. She knew she could help.

His happiness at her gift was apparent, even if he did not know how to express it. Her heart melted when he smiled at her, she became certain that he is more than a lab partner, he is a friend. 


End file.
